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New Interoperability Channel Designator Released for Comment (2/8/10)

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) released for comments an addition to a candidate American National Standard (ANS) to ensure national consistency of interoperability on related radio channels. The comment period is for the proposed addition of the channel-use designator SAR for search and rescue.

The proposed standard channel nomenclature for public-safety interoperability channels provides a standardized naming format for each FCC-designated interoperability channel in public-safety radio services. This additional review and comment period is only for the proposed addition and ends March 7. It can be downloaded at apcointl.org/new/commcenter911/ansi-activity.php. To submit comments or questions prior to the deadline, e-mail standards@apco911.org.

“The public-safety community uses spectrum allocated by the FCC in multiple bands that is replete with interoperability channels,” APCO International Executive Director George Rice said. “It is necessary to develop and employ a common set of channel names so that all responders to an incident know which channel to tune their radios to, as well as the band and primary use for the channel.”

In 2006, NPSTC reviewed and updated the standard channel nomenclature recommended in the 700 MHz National Coordination Committee’s final report. This new protocol has been widely adopted across the country in the intervening period, and requests to the federal government resulted in finalizing standard names for similar channels in federal agency spectrum earlier this year.

“Common interoperability channel names will help to assure that any organization responding to an emergency will be able to establish contact immediately when arriving on scene,” said NPSTC Chair Ralph A. Haller. “Although the specific channel names were initially controversial, the proposed standard represents the collective efforts of public-safety agencies across the country to reach consensus. NPSTC is pleased to have been instrumental in this process.”

APCO International is the recognized American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited standards developer for public-safety communications standards and was selected to facilitate the most recent version of the standard channel nomenclature document through the ANSI standardization process, moving one step closer to completion of national emergency communications plan (NECP) milestone 3.1.33.

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